police murder megathread

[Slander and/or Libel]

The people decrying the actions of those rioting like to tut tut, click their tongues and say things like, "violence begets violence," as if to say that these people are bringing the harsh reaction of the state upon them by acting violently in the first place.

The problem? This is not "in the first place." This is the violence begotten by the violence visited upon these communities by the state for centuries in one form or another. You don't get to let the state murder a man for no reason and then turn around and say, "They started it!" when the community from which he hailed lashes out.

[Slander and/or Libel]

I'm not excusing, and I'm not rationalizing. I'm saying that there's a context in which it must be understood, and in which it is frequently not understood. Willfully not understood.

[Slander and/or Libel]

What those rioters did last night wasn't about Freddie Gray.  It looked like a bunch of drug-fueled thugs partying.  And by the way, a thug can be white as the clean snow, they can be pink - they're still thugs, as the Mayor called them.

You don't get to use racially coded language to talk about this and then get off the hook by saying you mean white people too. You don't.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Not everything is about race. This is. You don't get to hide behind Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Bullsh**t. Not one news article describes them as thugs. You're only doing so opportunistically.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Non-violent protest is still the best form of civil disobedience

How about a protest against disproportionate amount of crime coming from certain cities and certain communities. How about a protest against denying reality?

Which communities are those? The thug ones, I presume? Which can be all white people?

[Slander and/or Libel]

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Urban.

"Urban."

"Thug."

Got it. Loud and clear.

[Slander and/or Libel]

I dislike the way this debate is being framed.  Either you’re a supporter of violence and destruction of our neighborhoods or you’re a milquetoast suburbanite tut-tuter?  No, I don’t think so. 

I understand the context and the neglect and suffering felt in these neighborhoods.  I’ve spent years working in some of them, which is why it breaks my heart seeing this happening.  But I understand where this is coming from.  I just happen to think registering voters and coordinating a campaign to vote out the corrupt corporatist administration that has been running this city and neglecting these neighborhoods for decades would be a lot more productive than burning down senior centers and pissing on the dreams of people who have been working hard to turn these communities around.   

I don't believe I've seen anyone saying that riots are the most productive way of achieving change. Have I missed where somebody said that?

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Urban.

"Urban."

"Thug."

Got it. Loud and clear.

Mr. Obama just called them thugs.

I love that you're still trying to justify yourself. It'd almost be cute if it wasn't so disgusting.

[Slander and/or Libel]

I don't think any logical person on here is going to argue that there are people in this country who have been systematically oppressed and discriminated against.

However, there is still absolutely no excuse for violence and looting. The systemic oppression of blacks in the south during the Civil Rights Era did not lead to the type of violence were see today from protestors. Everyone from the president to local leaders in the community has condemned this behavior and rightfully so.

Whether some on the left want to admit it or not, frustration is not a historical or logical justification for violence and non-violent protest remains the most effective means of civil disobedience.

Destroying your city does nothing for your cause.

"frustration is not a historical or logical justification for violence"

Frustration at what, exactly? This is worth clarifying. Because it's frustration at having violence visited upon them by the state, only to have the state absolve itself of culpability.

[Slander and/or Libel]

This kind of vicious lawlessness is why many people feel uncomfortable in urban areas

Keep pretending you're not talking about race.

[Slander and/or Libel]

Nevada is an interesting anomaly.

From what I recall hearing, Las Vegas has basically taken the Justice Department's recommendations and implemented them fully. Since the population of Nevada is so heavily concentrated there, that probably explains a whole lot of this.